Over at New School Kaidan, I write a few words about some of the recently released promotional videos. At times, this is a bit of a grueling task, and all of my thoughts can get a little scattered when multiple PVs are released on the same day. But, I always try to present the promotional videos in the best light possible, and I try to remember that each of these pieces of entertainment for your a me is actually the manifestation of a dream for some young girl or girls out there in Japan. Here then is a collection of those write-ups, with a few words sometimes added after a week+ of viewing. This week I’m really behind, so everything will be brief. I mean SHORT!

The lead promotional video for the 63rd Morning Musume release finally climbs the horizon. “BRAND NEW MORNING” looks and feels like a declaration of sorts. The girls wear military inspired red with double-breasted buttons and fringed epaulettes. Fukumura Mizuki leads new girls Kaga Kaede and Yokoyama Reina on a march through the idol warring period with affirmations like “We go down but we come up again” and “Don’t hate. Spread love”. Much like how “Help Me!” filled itself with phoenix imagery, Morning Musume reaffirms their place and their intention to continue to rise. Interestingly, the group also makes itself synonymous with Japan with their Brand New Morning and Rising Sun metaphors. Musically, “Brand New Morning” synth-pop has more urgency in it. Certainly one can hear the military inspiration with the song’s chant and melodic theme running through the song like a cadence. To use more modern linguistic terms, the song is hype. “Brand New Morning/Jealousy Jealousy” goes on sale March 8, 2017.

Beyond the Couch

I just love the attitude of this song. I also love Ikuta Erina’s jumping kick … but you figured that one out already.

Honestly, I’m a bit weary of the “idols and pro-wrestling” angle. I’m not denying the similarities, but it feels like every yahoo seems to think this is a mind-blowing revelation (it is not). As for AKB48, this song is clearly a pinch-and-tweak of the 1976 Rocky soundtrack. That doesn’t make the song bad, but I wish they covered their tracks just a little bit more. So, yes my personal baggage gets in the way of my enjoyment for “Shoot Sign”.

As far as pure pop goes, you won’t really get much better than the 4th release from Dream Ami. Don’t expect anything bombastic or jarring from this release; the melody rules this straightforward arrangement. With her strong vocals, “Hayaku Aitai” goes beyond the limitations of the song’s composition. Visually, we are treated to Ami in a variety of dollhouse settings: from waking in bed with flower petals aflutter to pumping iron on a balance ball. The effect I found most interesting was the changing of seasons literally depicted inside the set. And then, winter Ami looked oh so cozy. OK, enough of this: I’m blushing a little bit. “Hayaku Aitai” goes on sale on March 22, 2017.

Tokyo Girls’ Style’s “predawn” certainly fits the bill with shots of the foursome dancing on a rooftop at the titular time-of-day. All of these outdoor shots are vignetted to heighten the effect and make those orange creamsicle sunrises really pop. Clad in crushed pink velvet, the group’s choreography remains sharp for this 22nd release. True to style, the shots that we’ll probably be talking about are the girls fully clothed and immersed in a white bathtub shooting looks that could launch 1,000 ships. Sure they have grown up quite a bit in last few years, but Tokyo Girls’ Style still have a penchant for evocative visuals. On the music side of things, TGS doesn’t stray too far from their repertoire of the past year. Subdued beats under the looping melodies punctuate melodic lines like “You’re so close, you’re so far away.” Perhaps “predawn” doesn’t beat down with the bombast of other recent idol offerings, but the subtle textures are enough for me to put this one on my hot list. Tokyo Girls’ Style’s “predawn / Don’t Give Up” breaks day on March 1, 2017.

Beyond the Couch

I feel like I’m in the minority here, but Tokyo Girls’ Style is really hitting their second wind strong.

Moso Calibration immerse themselves in fighting games in this pv, and it’s pretty great! You’ll find rendered models of the girls taking part in the action, and to tell the truth it kind of freaked me out for a while. So, MoCali gets their Tron going on here, and I wish I had the girls riding the light cycles. But, FOCUS … these are fighting games! I found the music enjoyable, which is not always a sure thing with me and Moso Calibration. This time around, Moso Calibration wins!

I like to make Oomori Seiko to be some kind of Jesus figure who brings idols to salvation through her personal adoration. I suppose she must have heard me since we see Seiko carrying a flowered cross that looks remarkably similar to Michishige Sayumi’s graduation dress (NOT a coincidence). Dogma Magma is an interesting gem in that it sounds more controlled yet also more gonzo that much of Seiko’s work. I like the band she’s put together here and the performance space which looks remarkably like the video set for C-ute’s “I Miss You”. But, I promised to be brief, so I’ll just cut myself off here.

My gosh, the nostalgia trip for “Shuten, Wa Ta Shi” is so heavy it’s formatted for an old CRT television. The traditional-sounding melody probably won’t rock everyone’s socks off, but I know Yufu wearing a kimono is probably somebody’s thing. Oh, and then there’s that mascot character who pops up midway through this short version. What’s the deal? We’ll have to wait for the full version to know.

Nothing says “isolation” quite like a winter’s denuded forest, right? In the promotional video release for their second album “Deathless”, NECRONOMIDOL summon’s H.P. Lovecraft’s giant of the snow and ice. The song is much livelier than the group’s last release “psychopomp” with a roughly metal instrumentation augmented with some spooky square wave synthesizers. Like you might expect, these idols don’t perform a lively dance or anything like that. Instead, NECRONOMIDOL appear like a witch’s coven among the dead branches. The real creep-fest comes with the incantations accompanied by a bare kick drum. Well, I suppose no one plays the witch card as good as NECRONOMIDOL when they get down with their animistic selves. “Deathless” shrinks from the daylight on February 22, 2017.

This latecomer promotional video comes from Tsubomi’s December 21st release “Arigato wa Honno Kimochi dayo”. Ordinarily, there wouldn’t be much to talk about with a live-shot promotional video with some behind-the-scenes footage. But, with Tsubomi’s PV we have some innovative camera work. It’s such a simple thing, but the camera shoots the live performance from the stage. Not only do we get close looks of the girls as they perform, but we also get some sweeping shots of the choreography from unique angles. The most interesting shots give us a look at things from the girls’ perspectives: looking out at the audience and through their comrades. “Arigato wa Honno Kimochi dayo” is an affecting piece of film that perfectly underscores the emotional nature of the song.

Man, I love this Fullfull☆Pocket. They’re more talented than you might think; I really feel that the more I watch them. Enjoy this rehearsal shot of the coupling song from group’s last single! Tell ’em Number244 sent ya!

You already know I got a bit of a goth streak in me, so the seance black magic theme of “Tsumishou no Lucifer” does me just fine. I particularly like the set decoration of the seance/transference. I also like the composite images of the girls in the collages. Nothing is really terrifying, and I don’t think that terror is the point here. Everything just looks like good fun to me as Iketeru Hearts play at some black magic. As far as the truly “new to me” stuff I heard this week, Iketeru Hearts is probably my favorite.

I seem to be doing this is the wrong order, because this is the second promotional video I’ve seen from ophelia 20mg (really like that name btw). There’s more dark styling with this PV with leather couches, collars, and laces complementing roses, crystal chandeliers, idol-tiny hats, and some gun play. Probably the most interesting thing about this product is ophelia 20mg’s voice: it’s not the typical cutesy voice, nor is it the idol +1 octave. With a more even-handed production, I think you would hear a thundering rich voice. So let’s put her on our watch list, eh?

I don’t know why I didn’t cover this for NSK. The girls look real sharp in their choreography, and there are some flashy effects with this stage. This is only a short version, so the jury’s still very much out for deliberation still. But, on my first impression this is a great looking release!

Here’s another one that I should have covered. Ririri looks all of 12 years old, but performance with enough assurance for someone twice her age. “Ririri Anthem” is a bit of dumb fun with its electro dance sounds; but that isn’t really a criticism since we all need some dumb fun every now and again. This definitely falls under the “guilty pleasure” category if you still feel guilty about enjoying Japanese idols, that is.

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Note: This site participates in the amazon.co.jp associates and the cdjapan affiliates programs, a program with hundreds of thousands of members to promote sales on the Internet . Using the links above can help credit up to 10% of your purchase to the site and its writers to help keep this website afloat at no additional cost to you.